This invention relates to household items and more particular to a personal brewing device for use in brewing individual servings of coffee, or tea, or other beverages.
Although coffee and tea has traditionally been brewed by the pot, there is prior art for personal brewers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,103 to Cox, 1994, includes a coffee containing pouch and a method for holding same. U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,492 to Zimmermann, 1981, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,848 to Hahn, 1978 include methods of coffee press brewing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,083 to Lozito, 1995 shows a self contained disposable coffee brewing cone. U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,517 to Yeh, 1991 shows a combined cover and strainer assembly for brewing coffee or tea. U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,457 to Acuff, 1992, shows a method for retaining coffee grounds within a filter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,765 to Sylvan, 1994 shows a filter cartridge use in coffee brewing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,710 to Pridonoff, 1997, teaches a heat sealed or sonically welded envelop of filter material containing therein coffee but does not teach a device which allows for the individual's choice of coffee grounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,479 to Cunningham, 1987 teaches a means to compress a tea bag but lacks a filterable pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,588 to Poulallion, 1991 teaches a device that includes supporting members. Other devices for brewing include U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,601 to Serbu, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,820 to Lin, 1990, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,972 to English, 1995.
What is needed is a way to brew individual portions of fresh coffee or tea or other substances in a completely disposable manner, while at the same time, controlling brewing. Also needed is a device whereupon the user does not have to wait and stand around while pouring water into a drip system while brewing to occurs. Also, after using a standard single coffee bag or tea bag to brew, or after using a drip filter, disposal of the wet grounds or tea leaves is a problematic. In addition, a method of decreasing the probability of spillage is needed.
The Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages of the present invention meets these needs. The present invention allows coffee grounds to stay within the user's cup confined within a pouch with controlled brewing, does not require pouring and waiting while drip brewing, and allows for the disposal of wet coffee grounds at a convenient time. Additionally, this invention compresses the grounds or leaves, thereby decreasing the opportunity of spillage.
The user places his/her "gourmet" coffee grounds into the open top of a Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages, activates the closure means within the top to make a closed pouch, places the device into a cup, pours hot water into the cup, adds milk if desired, places a special lid onto the cup and heads out the door or drives to work holding the assembly while the coffee brews. Attached to the filter pouch are compressors means for controlling brewing and attached to the compressors are handles for grasping. Tasting the liquid through the sipping hole provided, the user determines that the coffee has sufficiently brewed. He/she then pushes together the handles which were passed through the slit in the lid, thereby pushing together the compressors, thereby preventing liquid flowing though the grounds, thereby stopping the brewing. The coffee grounds remain confined within the filter pouch. The compressors have handles which fit through a slit in the lid. The handles have stabilizing protrusions keeping the device from falling through the slit into the cup. The handles remain together by fastening elements such as adhesive or magnets or electrostatic or mechanically engaging means. The vessel lid has a spill-proof slit and a sipping hole. After getting to the office, having consumed the coffee or tea, the user then discards the Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages.
Generally, the Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages of the present invention comprises a disposable filter device having the ability to make an open pouch into a closed pouch, while also having the ability to control brewing. It is sized to fit into a standard cup. A special lid may be used for portability.
Or the The Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages may be configured as a rigid frame within a cup. Thus, the cup's wall acts as one compressor. A second compressor would be permanently attached to the cup and moveable, enabling compression of a conventional filter or filter bag which was inserted into the device for brewing. In this case only the standard filter or filter bag is discarded.
The Personal Brewing Filter Device For Coffee, Tea and Other Brewable Beverages can may be configured so as to have a rigid frame to be portable from cup to cup, using standard disposable filters or single serving coffee or tea bags. In this embodiment, there is a rigid frame having compressors, handles having stabilizers, and a holder means for holding a coffee bag securely and/or for securing and turning an open filter pouch into a closed filter pouch. An example of such a holder means may be a spring clamp attached to one of the compressors. The user takes a standard filter, inserts his/her coffee grounds, folds over or twists the top portion of the filter and then inserts the top into the clamp for securing the filter in position. He/she pours water into the cup, allows brewing to occur, and stops brewing by moving a compressor against another compressor.
A differently configured portable embodiment is a rod having a funnel-like compressor surrounding and slideable upon the rod. The rod also comprises a holding means for securing a filter bag and/or for making a standard filter into a closed pouch. The user secures the pouch containing coffee into the holding means and inserts the arrangement into a cup. He/she pours water into cup and when brewing is sufficient, slides the compressor down over the coffee bag, compressing the grounds and discontinuing brewing.
In general, the device can be shaped in many forms but the cone shape is preferred. Also, when made of microwave acceptable material, the device can be used in a microwave.